The Night Athena Saved Christmas
by Rex Madison
Summary: Every year, Athena celebrates Christmas, and every year she's left wanting more. But this year, Santa is in a bind - and she just might get it... (Rated G, mostly.)
1. Chapter 1

Notes

Surprise, everyone! And Merry Christmas :)

Thanks for this one go out to the Discord server. (...I think. Suddenly I can't find the mention in the archives, heh.) They had the idea months ago, and at first I wasn't going to do it. ...but just a day later, I ran into the lovely image I used for the cover art. I took it as a sign, lol.

Anyway, this story isn't connected to any of my other continuities. (Power level is Comics Athena, if you're keeping track.) The thing is silly and rushed and probably dumb and written _way_ too seriously for a crackfic. But, I wanted to do it, I had fun doing it...so I did it. With any luck somebody out there will have fun reading it, too.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The Night Athena Saved Christmas

"Ho, ho, ho! What's _your_ name, little boy?"

Silence.

The silent one in question was Bao, the youngest and normally most energetic of the Psycho Soldiers. At present, however, he seemed a little shell-shocked, staring at the man who'd asked the question with wide eyes. That man, of course, was Santa Claus - or rather a man _dressed_ as Santa, sitting in his throne in the middle of the mall and just trying to get through Christmas Eve. ...or _rather_, a man dressed as _Sheng dan lao ren_, as the Soldiers were back in China at the moment. (The country didn't formally celebrate Christmas, but the shopping centers in the big cities usually did.)

Luckily, this meant Bao had his whole support system behind him. When they saw him freeze up, they quickly encouraged him...in their own ways.

"Come on, Bao! You can do it!" Athena urged.

"Yeah, c'mon. It's just a _guy_," Kensou scoffed.

"You want me to make _more_ fun of you?" Momoko teased.

"Bah. Humbug," Master Chin grouched.

Surprisingly none of this helped Bao much. He looked at his team for a second, then turned back to "Santa", gaping at the huge man with the shaggy hair and bright coat. Seeing the fear in his eyes, the man tried another approach.

"I'll bet you'd like a _lot_ of presents this year, hmm?"

"Y-yeah," Bao managed.

"Good! Why don't you tell me the ones you'd like the _most_?"

"...uhhhhhhh..." he said cleverly, trying hard to think. "Well...I _do_ kinda need a better phone..."

"Wonderful," Santa boomed, beaming. "And what else?"

"Ummm...a new fishing rod?" Bao went on. "And a bigger hat...and the new Warcraft game...and a Realdoll..."

Immediately Kensou went into a snickering fit. Chin raised his eyebrows; Athena's hands flew up to her mouth. Momoko, whose Chinese still wasn't so hot, looked back and forth between them rapidly. "What? What'd he _say?_" she demanded.

"It's nothing, Momo," Athena lied. Then she turned and glared at Kensou, who had doubled over at this point. "Well, gee," she added (in Chinese), "I wonder who gave him _that_ idea, hmm?"

"...umm. Err...nobody...?"

Santa squared Bao away pretty fast after that. As he hopped down, Chin quickly caught up with him and led him off, giving him a lecture about decorum. Athena started to do the same with Kensou...but as they left, she noticed the last member of their group wasn't with them. She turned to find Momoko lingering near the front of the line, glancing back and forth between Santa and her teammates.

"It's okay, Momo. Go ahead," Athena assured her with a smile.

"Yayyy! Thanks, Athena-chan!" With that Momoko ran at _Sheng dan lao ren_ full-tilt, hitting his lap with the force of a girl twice her size.

As Athena laughed in delight, Kensou groaned and rolled his eyes. "Good grief," he muttered. "You _do_ remember she's fifteen, right?"

"So what?" Athena shot back, grinning. "Christmas is _magic_, Sie. The longer you can keep the spirit alive, the better."

"..._you_ don't still believe in Santa, do you?" Kensou had to ask.

"Of course not," said Athena, rolling _her_ eyes. "I learned a long time ago that Santa isn't real."

Then she turned back to Momoko, a soft smile on her face and something wistful in her eyes.

"But I sure do envy all the kids that haven't yet."

* * *

Once Momoko was finished, the Soldiers moved on to Athena's next activity: volunteering at the Christmas Eve soup kitchen. Chin seemed to perk up at this, but Kensou did not, and while the kids were happy to help at first their energy dwindled quickly. They spent most of the long drive back to the dojo sleeping, and no amount of stories or caroling could wake them.

Once they got home, Athena helped put the kids to bed, tucking Bao in and making sure they were still excited for presents. After that, though, there really wasn't that much to do. Chin didn't celebrate Christmas, choosing to spend some quiet time with Grandma instead. Kensou gamely tried to watch a copy of Rudolph with her, but he ended up spoiling it by quibbling over the details. ("What is _wrong_ with those parents⁇" "Why's Santa being such a jerk?" "Did that guy just rip that thing's tooth out!?")

In the end, Athena went to bed that night disappointed. Every year as a child she'd celebrated Christmas with her parents, and she'd tried to keep the tradition going with the Soldiers ever since. Some years it worked out; some years it didn't. And, as she always did when it didn't, she laid down with a heavy heart and a sigh, hoping she could spread Christmas cheer to the whole world someday.

Normally that was it, until the next morning.

But something different happened this year.

A few hours after she fell asleep, Athena woke up to an urgent tapping on her window. She groaned, rolled over, forced open her eyes - and then widened them. Someone was _tapping on her window⁇_ She wasn't even frightened so much as shocked; _no one_ visited the dojo - especially not like this.

Her heart racing, Athena struggled her way out of her sheets. Once she freed herself, she ran to the window and looked out of it, not _tearing open_ the curtains but peering through the gap in them instead. Once her eyes adjusted to the moonlight, she found...

_...an...elf?_

That's what it looked like, at least. A freaking _elf_, like the ones from the Rudolph show, was standing a couple yards away from her window. He was short, clad in green, wearing a silly hat - all the talking points. He didn't seem to care one whit about the cold, either; he was just _standing_ there, not crossing his arms or jogging in place or anything.

Athena hadn't been as stealthy as she thought, though. The "elf" had seen the curtains move just slightly, and his eyes lit up. "Miss Asamiya!" he called eagerly. "Can you come out here, please?"

She backed away instead, having to resist the urge to start screaming. _Is this a dream?_ she asked herself...before concluding it _couldn't_ be a dream because she wasn't this creative. How the heck was she supposed to handle this⁇ She couldn't sense any evil intentions, but still...could she actually go out there...?

In the end, she decided to surprise him as much as he'd surprised her.

After putting on the heaviest coat she had, Athena left the room via teleport, disappearing in a flash and touching down just outside her window. The elf jumped and startled at first, giving her a burst of satisfaction...but he quickly started grinning instead.

"Oh, that's _perfect_!" he told her. "They picked a good one alright...!"

"'Picked'?" she echoed, frowning. "Who 'picked'...what are you... Huh⁇"

"No time to explain," he told her as he turned and jogged towards the forest. "I'll do it on the way. Now come on...!"

He turned and started jogging again; despite her reservations, Athena followed. She figured she could teleport again whenever she had to - and if she couldn't, she was probably done for anyway. Besides, as crazy as this was, she just _had_ to see it through. It couldn't possibly be what she thought it was...could it?

A moment later, Athena found herself just outside a small clearing. She followed the elf in, looked ahead...and had her answer.

_The sleigh..._

A majestic, gold-trimmed wooden sleigh stood before her, balanced atop two massive runners. It had a luxurious red velvet seat inside, along with a bigger (and conspicuously empty) space behind it. Attached to the front were two long, sturdy-looking reins...and attached to _those_ were eight reindeer, standing side by side, with a ninth alone in front of them that had a slightly redder nose.

Athena started hyperventilating. "Oh my gosh..._oh_, my gosh...!"

"Please calm down, Miss Asamiya," the elf urged. "I know this comes as a shock, but we have to hurry. The boss is in trouble, and he needs your help."

"The boss⁇"

"..._you_ know."

Now Athena fell to her knees, her eyes wide as saucers. _This can't be...it has to be a dream...it HAS to..._

The elf seemed to know what she was thinking, though. "Miss Asamiya," he broke in, making her gasp, "if this is a dream...you might as well play along until it's over, right?"

_...can't argue with that, I suppose._

Still shaking (and not from the cold), Athena made her way to the sleigh. She clambered in awkwardly, slipping once but managing to right herself. As she sat down, the elf hopped up beside her, then reached under the seat and pulled out a woolen blanket.

"Take this," he told her, handing it to her. "You're gonna need it..."

Believing him, she wrapped herself up tight.

Satisfied, the elf reached out for the reins. He raised them, then brought them down with a firm but gentle snap. Instantly, the reindeer stood at attention. Up in front, the lead reindeer turned up his head...and like a light bulb, his nose lit up with a shiny red glow.

_Now_ Athena fainted.

* * *

Sadly, the elf didn't give her long to rest. Once they were airborne, he woke Athena as fast as he could, telling her he needed to explain the situation. He said he was Elmore, the chief of operations back at "HQ". His "boss" usually made these trips - but that was part of the problem. The man had been gravely ill for a week, insisting he'd be fine in time for the big day. He hadn't admitted defeat until that very night...but luckily, his staff had started looking for help long before. They had searched far and wide, investigating people with all sorts of paranormal powers. In the end, they had determined their best chance to solve the problem was...her.

"Because of my healing powers?" Athena guessed. "You want me to _heal_...your _boss_⁇"

"Something like that, yes," Elmore agreed.

"But, I only heal wounds and injuries," said Athena, shaking her head. "I've never cured a disease before! What if I can't do it⁇"

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Elmore said grimly.

It was a long, cold flight back to headquarters. Her teeth chattering, Athena tried to distract herself by asking more questions - namely how Santa Claus, as a concept, was even _possible_. But Elmore wouldn't answer any of them, insisting the details were "on a need to know basis". Sulking and freezing, the girl eventually just started asking if they were _there_ yet, acting as much like a child as Bao and Momoko had earlier.

Thankfully, the ordeal didn't last much longer. The endless tundra and ocean suddenly gave way to glaciers, letting Athena know they were almost there. The ice blocks rose and fell at random, never reaching the sleigh but sometimes blocking her view. It was just after passing one of these blocks that Athena finally saw...the Workshop.

Or, rather, the Workshop_s_.

What was once a small building had become a sprawling industrial complex, filled with factories and warehouses and _two_ power plants. The factories were closed tonight, but the warehouses were bustling, with every light turned on and elves rushing to and fro between them. She still couldn't believe _all_ the toys, for _all_ the good girls and boys, could fit in them...but looking down at them all, she couldn't help but think they just might.

In the heart of the complex, though, one section stood out. There was still _one_ building that looked like what she'd seen and read about in the stories. It was to this large, wooden house that that the sleigh descended, making her heart pound once more. Suddenly things were happening way too _fast_...

Elmore hopped off the sleigh and held out his hand. Athena took it and followed without thinking. She looked around numbly as they went inside the cozy house, walking through the cozy halls and greeting some very _nervous_ elves. Her apprehension reached a fever pitch as they reached a back bedroom, clearly where the man himself lived...where the man himself was waiting.

Then Elmore opened the door and she saw him, and everything changed.

There was Santa Claus...bedridden, covered in blankets with a warm compress on his forehead. His face looked clammy and pale, and his belly didn't seem to have much jelly left. A woman - Mrs. Claus, presumably - kept her vigil next to him, holding his hand. Beyond that, nothing was stirring; the room was quiet...still. Lifeless.

"Oh my goodness..." Athena rushed up to the old man, her anxieties forgotten. "What's happened⁇"

"We don't know," Mrs. Claus moaned, wiping her eyes. "We have doctors here, of course - "

(Visions of short men in lab coats danced through Athena's head.)

" - but they can't figure out what's wrong. They've never seen anything like it."

_I know the feeling,_ Athena thought but didn't say.

She didn't need the others to say anything, either. She knew what they wanted, and she knew they were desperate. She simply looked at them for comfirmation - first at Elmore, who gave her a quick nod, and then at Mrs. Claus, who gave her a slow one. With that she laid her hands on Santa (who had slept through the whole thing), closed her eyes, and let the healing begin.

It didn't take her long to figure out what the problem was.

...Sie Kensou liked to eat meat buns. A lot. Sometimes after eating them, he would get sick, and once Athena learned to heal people he'd often turned to her for help. Most of the time, he'd simply eaten too many; she couldn't do much about that, except induce vomiting (in a very unpleasant way). But once in a while, he'd get sick without eating many of them at all.

He'd just happened to get them from the wrong place.

"...uh," Athena mumbled. "I. ...umm. ...and you've _never_ seen this before?"

"No. Never."

"Okay...well, does your husband leave the North Pole very often?"

"Not really," Mrs. Claus answered with a frown. "Just once in a while. We come from the old world, and he likes to see its new wonders. He's been on the lookout for new technology for decades, and he's _always_ liked food and delicacies we don't have here."

"Would one of those delicacies happen to be called 'pork'?"

Mrs. Claus blinked. "...yes! Yes, it is!"

"And has he been sick to his stomach? Going to the bathroom a lot?"

"Yes! That's all right! How did you know?"

"Because I know what the problem is," said Athena, trying not to giggle.

"Oh, thank goodness," the woman gushed. "What is it?"

"Mrs. Claus...I'm afraid Santa has food poisoning."

Silence.

"...and what is _that_?" Mrs. Claus finally broke it with.

"It's a way to get sick that, apparently, you don't have up here," Athena began, shaking her head in disbelief. "You see, in today's 'old world', there are - "

"Whatever it is," Elmore broke in, "can you fix it?"

The mirth drained from Athena quickly, as she realized she didn't know. Dealing with stomach flu was always tricky. If it was viral, that was that; she'd never been able to heal viruses either. When it was bacterial, a combination of healing and telekinesis could calm the buggers down - but it couldn't always heal whatever damage they'd caused. On top of that, she'd never dealt with a bug that lasted this long before. By now there might be _one_ kind of "damage" she couldn't heal at all.

"...I'll try," she said simply, laying her hands back down and getting to work.

On the upside, she soon found out it _was_ bacterial. On the downside, the bacteria did _not_ want to calm down. The bug was aggressive and fast, escaping and attacking again almost quicker than she could keep up with. But after a little time and a _lot_ of work, Athena managed to settle the big man's stomach - and even in his sleep, he let out a contented sigh.

Mrs. Claus was ecstatic...but Athena knew better.

"You can wake him up now," she told her, uncharacteristically wary.

The woman obliged at once, patting her husband's cheeks with her hands. "Kris?" she asked, her voice low. "Kris...can you wake up?"

Slowly, Santa's eyelids peeled open...and his lips curled into a smile.

"Jessica," he struggled out, his eyes turning towards her. "Jessica, it's gone...the pain is gone..."

"Oh thank heavens," she whispered, her own eyes tearing up again.

"Yes," the old man agreed. "Whoever did this...thank them. I feel...so..."

But then his eyes closed, as he drifted back to sleep.

"Kris? Kris...!" Mrs. Claus gasped. She shook him again - and, thankfully, woke him back up. She nearly sobbed in relief...but Elmore had caught on.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" he asked Athena. "Why didn't it work?"

"Oh, it worked alright," Athena answered with a sigh. "He said the pain was gone, remember? But it's been so _long_. He's been lying there, suffering, for - I think you said it was a week? That's not just unpleasant...it's _exhausting_."

"Exhausting," he echoed, cringing. He knew where this was going.

"Mr. Elmore, my powers can do a lot," she went on. "I can heal wounds. I can move things with my mind. I can soothe infections, even. ...but I can't fix 'tired'."

With a sigh of his own, Elmore turned away and crossed his arms. "...he's not going out tonight, is he."

"I don't think so, sir," said Athena, tears in her eyes.

For a moment, the elf seemed lost in thought. (It was an odd expression to see on...well, an elf.) He kept twitching, too - almost as if he wanted to look at her, but wouldn't. Finally he just went ahead and did it, sizing her up with his hands on his hips.

"All right then," he announced. "Time for plan B."

"And 'plan B' is...?"

"...we ask _you_ to do it."

* * *

End Notes

That's right, folks - this thing's a two-parter ;) (Hey, it's a two-part holiday, right?)

I've posted without finishing again, so there's a chance part 2 won't arrive till after Christmas. But I already have the story planned out, and I'm writing at a fever pitch right now. So fingers crossed~

See you next update!


	2. Chapter 2

Notes

...oh, man. I can't believe I actually did it, lol. (Seriously - I got this in _just_ under the wire.)

I think this chapter can best be summed up as "_beyond_ rushed". The story went mostly where I wanted it to go - but heck if I know how it got there. On the plus side, it's definitely a wild ride, and I definitely had fun with it :)

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"M-m-m..._me!?_" Athena exploded. "You want _me_ to be _Santa Claus⁇_"

"It's got to be you, Miss Asamiya," Elmore calmly replied. "You're the only one who can."

"What are you talking about?"

"You asked what 'makes Santa possible'? Well here goes. For starters, most of it is magic. Spells and artifacts created in a time when it was strong. The suit is magic: fits any size, prevents any harm, eliminates sweat. The sleigh is magic: indestructible, stops time - "

"Stops time⁇"

" - holds and flies at any weight," he said without missing a beat. "The _bag_ is magic, refills itself at every stop. The _reins_ are magic, give animals the power of flight. Magic, magic everywhere...except for three things. The reasons Santa can do what he does - and what makes him who he is."

"..._stops time!?_"

"First, the naughty-or-nice list," he went on, ignoring her. "The list used to be magic too - it's all electronic now - but it's still filled out by Santa himself. He keeps track of _everything_, for _every_ child. 'He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake.' He gets help from our spy networks, but he can also mentally extend his vision...and he can _also_ see into childrens' minds."

"W, wait a second," Athena stammered, holding up her hands. "Santa can read peoples' _minds_?"

"That's right."

"So you're telling me...that _Santa Claus_...is _psychic_."

"Yes, he is."

Athena groaned and put her head in her hand. Sometimes the universe had a really weird sense of humor...

"It's how he decides who deserves gifts, and it's how he knows what they want. But it runs deeper than that."

"How!?"

"Have you ever considered," Elmore asked, crossing his arms, "what would happen if the world found out Santa was real?"

She hadn't, of course. Not many people did. But when she thought about it, she immediately saw some serious problems. An old man, breaking into peoples' houses...leaving potentially dangerous gifts...running twenty-four-hour mass surveillance...capable of mind-reading, immortality, stopping time itself...

"Holy cow," she mumbled, staring at him. "People would go nuts!"

"Exactly. Even if they didn't know about Santa himself, they'd worry about where the gifts came from. So if Santa wants to do this work, he has to cover his tracks. And he can do _that_ because he can't just _see into_ peoples' minds...he can _change_ them."

Athena paled.

"That's right, Miss Asamiya," Elmore said with a nod. "Santa can read peoples' minds, just like you. He can read peoples' memories, just like you. And he can _alter_ peoples' memories...just like you."

"But I...I _can't_ be the only one," she whispered. "Not in a world where Santa is _real_."

"You're not. There are others," he confirmed. "There are others with healing powers, too. But we can't stop time _all_ the time, so we had to act fast. And not only were you the only one skilled with _both_ powers...you're also the most qualified psychic in the world we deemed likely to say 'yes'."

Athena wasn't sure how to take this information. On the one hand she was flattered - _proud_ even - that they thought she was such a saint. On the other, it was disturbing even for a _psychic_ that they knew so much about her.

...but then, on a _third_ hand, she realized something.

"Hang on," she objected, frowning. "Did you...plan for this?"

"Of course," Elmore answered, not knowing what she meant.

"So you _planned_ for me to fail."

"What? No we didn't," he argued, his eyebrow raised. "We planned for _both_ contingencies. If we'd planned for failure, we'd have gone for the strongest psychic period. If we'd just planned for success, we would've gotten a stronger healer."

"That doesn't change the fact," she countered, "that you told me you wanted me to save a man's life...when you _knew_ that, if I failed, you'd be asking a whole lot more."

"We tell outsiders what we have to," Elmore said with a shrug. "Nothing more, nothing less. ...I won't apologize for that."

Athena scowled, then turned away from him, having half a mind to leave right there. The North Pole! Santa's elves! Even Santa himself! Was _no one_ incapable of lies and deceit? Was nothing sacred⁇

"...Athena?"

She blinked. The voice hadn't come from Elmore. She turned to find Mrs. Claus looking at her; Santa had fallen out again, so she'd been listening in.

"The elves told me about you before you came. And when they researched you, they didn't just see someone _agreeable_. They saw someone who loves people...someone who loves Christmas. Even after you stopped believing in us, you kept the spirit alive in your heart. But if you do this, you'll be keeping it alive for the _world_. You'll be making sure good boys and girls are happy on Christmas Day...and giving them a reason to believe for just a while longer."

Tears were forming in Athena's eyes before she even finished. _...the old lady really knows how to pour on the schmaltz,_ she thought as she wiped them. But it was true: she'd always wished she could give Christmas cheer to everyone. Now she had a chance to do not just that, but to give them the holiday itself.

Elmore probably knew she wanted that. Probably _counted_ on it.  
But someone assuming you'd be a good person was no reason not to be one.

"So please, Miss Asamiya," Mrs. Claus finished. "Will you help us?"

"...if I did...how would I even _do_ it?"

"With this setup it's pretty simple," Elmore jumped in. "You get in the sleigh, you follow the list. It gives you the name and address of the next kid up. When you get to the roof, or whatever it is, the bag automatically takes the right toys for the kid from our warehouses. You get inside - the chimney is fine, but it's better to teleport - you drop off the gifts, you modify some memories, and you're done."

"Modify them how?" Athena asked, turning back to him.

"You need to make the adults think _they_ got the toys for the kid. You can come up with 'when' and 'how' if you want, but just telling them they did it's good enough for most of them."

"What do I do if someone sees me?"

"They won't see you. Time freeze, remember?"

"...riiight," she muttered, holding her head. "So how's _that_ work?"

"There's a hidden button on the sleigh that activates the spell. It only works for you and the reindeer, and once you get out of the sleigh they freeze too. You can move any object you normally could, but you can't interact with them. You can turn a faucet on, for instance - but water won't pour until time starts."

"I see..." said Athena, frowning. _THAT'S gonna be interesting. ...if I do it that is,_ she added hastily.

"Try to press the button every time you get back in the sleigh, because the stop wears off after a week. You'll get a day of warning, but - "

"A-a-a-a _week⁇_" she sputtered. "How long is this going to take!?"

"...well, there're a _lot_ of kids out there, Miss Asamiya."

If Athena had "paled" before, she'd need a new name for this. She almost fell to her knees again, staring into space. "Oh my god...there's...there's _seven billion people_ out there..."

"It's not nearly that many," Elmore assured her. "Not that you'll have to deal with. For one thing, less than a third of them are kids. For another, some of them are lucky enough to already be _getting_ what they want. And for another, it's a naughty-or-nice list...and lots of kids _aren't_ very nice."

"So how many does that leave...?" Athena dared to ask.

Elmore took something that looked like a PDA from his pocket, pulled up the figure, and showed her.

"That's...not very many of them," she mumbled, her heart sinking.

"Well, look on the bright side," he told her. "The rate has actually been _increasing_."

"...but still," Athena rebounded, shaking her head. "That's still millions and millions and _millions_ of kids! It'd take - "

"Months. These days, the job takes months," Elmore said bluntly. "In fact for all _we_ know, it takes longer than that, and Santa's just lying about the time freeze to make us feel better."

"...well you could've told me that before‼" Athena cried, a different kind of tears in her eyes.

(Subtly, Elmore looked over to Mrs. Claus. But Santa was awake right now, and they were dead to the world. He was on his own.)

"Look, Miss Asamiya," he started, "I know it's a lot - "

"A _lot!?_"

" - but it's not that bad," he powered through. "The suit was _made_ for this. As long as you wear it, you'll never get tired, never get hurt. You won't even need to go to the bathroom. You won't need to eat, either - and if you do, you won't gain weight. You can also renew the timestop as much as you want, so you'll have all the time in the world."

"Will there be anyone with me...?"

"...no," Elmore admitted, wincing. "Time stop only works for the one who started it and anything attached to the reins."

"Could I maybe...attach one of _you_ to the reins...?"

"...no."

Athena looked down and sighed, a few of the tears spilling out. She didn't have any more questions, though...which was good, since Elmore didn't have any more words. It was up to her, now - up to her to decide how _much_ she loved people, how much she loved Christmas, and what she was willing to sacrifice for them when no one would ever know about it.

After a moment, Athena looked up, her face resolute.

"Alright. ...let's do this."

* * *

Trip preparations had never gone so fast. The elves ran around frantically, checking the equipment, the reindeer, the vehicle. Meanwhile Athena got a debriefing, learning the controls for the sleigh and how to use the Naughty-Nice Database. After that, she put on the one and only Santa suit - and it did, indeed, shrink down to her proportions. The pants even became a cute little skirt, to her delight. (It waned a bit, though, when she caught a couple of elves staring.)

Finally, it was time. Sweating bullets (well, she _would've_ been if she could sweat at the moment), Athena climbed up into the sleigh - alone this time. As she sat in the velvet seat and picked up the reins, she looked back at the crowd behind her, full of elves cheering and calling her name. Even Elmore gave her encouragement, telling her "Remember you can call if you need us!"

Smiling, she nodded and turned back to the reins. She reached forward for the time stopper, and the cheering somehow intensified. By the time her finger was on the button, they were actually _chanting_ her name...

...and then she pressed it, and everything changed.

The room went quiet...still. Lifeless. Things she hadn't noticed moving with the wind stopped dead. She turned around again and the elves were all frozen, most of them mid-cheer. It was the eeriest thing she'd ever seen...and she'd seen Kensou trying out yoga.

Swallowing, she turned back one last time. On the plus side, Elmore was right about the suit; she felt pumped, full of energy, light on her feet. She didn't even feel the cold weather anymore. Grinning now, she took the reins and gave them a snap, trying to mimic what the elves had shown her earlier. It sounded a little bit limp to her - but it seemed to work all the same.

Once again, the reindeer snapped to attention. She put down the reins, trusting them to know where to go. Rudolph (she assumed) lifted his head and lit up his nose. And then they took off, pulling the sleigh behind them...and Athena got to experience takeoff for the first time.

...it was very weird, she mused, throwing up without feeling drained afterwards.

And she knew it would only get weirder from here...

* * *

The first house took her thirty minutes.

Land on the roof. Pick up the bag. Go down to the ground floor. Look for the living room. Teleport inside without killing herself. Stuff the stockings. Put down the presents. Hide the big one behind the tree. It was more involved than she thought it'd be...and then there was the mindbending, where she had to convince two parents that were _clearly_ tightwads they had gotten a Big Wheel for their son. Needless to say, it took a little extra "oomph".

The family _had_ left out cookies for Santa, though. Athena munched on them while she worked, enjoying tasting chocolate and peanut butter without wondering if it'd go to her thighs. It was only after she'd finished the last one that she realized the parents would be wondering where they'd gone. (_Thanks for the warning, Elmore..._ she thought in annoyance.)

She looked in the pantry for replacements, but there were only four left. And by the looks of _this_ family, they counted their cookies. Athena was faced with the prospect of finding a grocery store with the right cookies, _stealing_ some, and coming back...or changing the parents' memories just a little bit more, to make them think one of _them_ had done it.

_...it's just one house,_ she told herself as she chose the easier path. _I won't do it again._

* * *

She got better at it slowly...which was fine, of course. She could take forever if she wanted to. She went from house...to house...to house, to house, to house, learning the art of placing presents and the finer points of making memories. And true to Elmore's word, she didn't get the least bit tired; even the strains from lifting the heavy gifts went away quickly.

(She did keep eating cookies, though. That was the hardest part: convincing herself it was an accident each time.)

Before long, it all became routine. She did it without thinking, or at least without remembering. The mechanics became rote, the time spent forgettable; soon she was getting houses done in under a minute.

Eventually all she remembered were the stories...

* * *

At a mid-sized house in a mid-sized neighborhood, Athena entered the living room to find the tree missing. Blinking, she looked down the nearby hall; it seemed this family had put theirs in the dining room. She started walking down the hall to get there, passing a bedroom and a bathroom...but she had to stop when she saw the second bedroom down the line.

GoBots. It was full of GoBots.

It was the boy's bedroom, and everything in it but him was some form of GoBot. GoBot toys, GoBot movies, GoBot t-shirts; GoBot posters, GoBot bedsheets, GoBot underwear. Athena had never even heard of a GoBot - but she didn't have to, the name was plastered all over everything. She knew full well what collectors were like - a good chunk of her fanbase fell into that category - but seeing the result first-hand was pretty creepy.

Shaking her head, she made her way into the dining room. As she grabbed a cookie with one hand, she flung the toy bag over her shoulder with the other, reaching down to take out the gifts. Unlike some children, all of this boy's gifts were wrapped - but as she put down the last one, her finger slipped and punched a small hole through the paper. Wincing, she left it to get some tape...but when she came back, her curiosity got the best of her and she looked into the hole.

...it was a GoBot. And the other four looked just like it.

She chuckled to herself as she taped the rip up. _Well, at least it isn't Sailor Moon..._

* * *

At a run-down RV in a trailer park, Athena entered the room to find an unholy mess. Clothes and papers were everywhere; bottles were scattered and, in some places, broken. The television was turned on to static, and there was a hole in the wall behind it. Worse yet, there wasn't a tree _anywhere_...and worst of all, as she looked for one she found the parents still awake, frozen in the middle of a shouting match.

Scowling, she placed the little girl's presents down by the television. Then she went into the parents' heads, looking to change more than their memories. The man was fantasizing about punching the woman in the face; the woman was considering stabbing the man in the arm. Instead, thanks to Athena, they would later make up and go to bed, only waking when the girl found the presents they'd bought her as an apology for her life.

Athena didn't take a cookie this time. She figured the girl could use all the nice things she could get.

* * *

At a mansion uptown, Athena entered the living room to find it lavishly decorated. Priceless paintings and tapestries lined the walls, and the chandelier alone must have cost a fortune. She looked around almost disgusted at all the wealth...especially when she saw the ten-foot-high tree and the mass of presents beneath it. Yet even with all that, Santa's bag had filled itself to the brim with gifts.

Athena couldn't help but feel bitter as she put them around the tree. The boy seemed to have _everything_. What had his parents not already gotten him⁇ Finally, at the third-to-last gift, she couldn't take it anymore: she ripped off the wrapping paper herself, just to see what the boy could possibly want.

...it was a paddle ball.

She blinked. She looked over at the other presents, realizing they hadn't been that heavy. When she went back and felt around the packages, she found a wooden train set, a toy xylophone, and a box of something that sounded like Legos when it shook.

_Sometimes it's the little things,_ thought Athena, smiling again.

She rewrapped the present, put it and the others under the tree (with _care_ this time), and was about to leave when she saw the cookies on the mantle.

She twitched.

She twitched.

And then she caved.

_...I'm gonna get SO heavy when this is over,_ she groused as she took them (and made the parents think the butler did it).

* * *

At a small, drafty apartment, Athena entered the living room to find it almost barren. There was no TV, no computer, and barely any furniture; what _was_ there was either low-cost or old and threadbare. Grimacing, she looked over to the tree - nice-looking but artificial - to find only a few small presents beneath it. None of them were for the mother; none of them were _from_ a father.

With a sigh and a heavy heart, Athena put down the bag of toys and dug inside. There wasn't much in there, either - just a small item or two; she dearly hoped it was something valuable (though she didn't know how she'd make the mother think she got it). Finally she came up with a heavy envelope, overstuffed with what appeared to be - and hopefully _was_ \- cash.

Smiling, she turned it over and saw the name on the envelope:

...Vivian?

She blinked. Was that the name she'd seen before? She pulled out the Naughty-Nice PDA and found that no, the girl's name was Christine. She looked back and forth between the two for a moment...then remembered she could use the PDA to find out what gifts each child was getting.

It turned out _this_ child had wanted "money for her mother to buy the dress she likes."

Athena had to wipe her eyes again at that one. It was the most wonderful gift idea she'd seen yet...but how to give it to them? There was no way this woman could have saved this much cash. And even if she had, she surely wouldn't use it on a dress; she would never forgive herself if she did.

Eventually, Athena hid the money in one of the family's few heirlooms. She planted a suggestion to the mother to look through that closet, then set up the heirloom so it would fall onto some blankets (and spit out the cash) when she did. Athena doubted the mother would actually get the dress...but maybe Santa hadn't meant for her to.

_Nothing like granting good kids' wishes to give you faith in humanity..._

* * *

On and on and on and _on_ it went, until even the stories started running together.

There was the boy who got no less than a thousand water balloons.

There was the girl who got medicine for her sinus infection.

The sixteen-year-old who got a car, stretching Santa's "toy" bag to its limits.

The four-year-old who got the complete works of Chopin on vinyl.

The boy in Japan who got novels in English. The girl in England who got novels in Japanese. The boy in Hong Kong who got a facial projector. The girl in Ethiopia who got a Ferrari. The boy and the girl and the boy and the girl and boy and girl and boy and girl and boy girl boy girl boygirlboygirl_everyone_.

It didn't take Athena a lifetime...but it sure felt like it.

* * *

When she returned to the Workshop, she was a changed woman.

Not physically, of course. She hadn't aged; she hadn't gained or lost weight. Yet she was numb, slow, unthinking...unfeeling, even. Her glassy eyes were the next best thing to a thousand-yard stare.

Elmore was the only one left to greet her. (She hadn't talked with him much, but she'd done it enough for the crowd to disperse.) As she stumbled off the sleigh, he quickly approached her, concerned. "Are you okay? Can you hear me? ...and did you finish?"

"I...I think so," Athena mumbled, still dazed. She handed him the now-battered PDA (he didn't mind, it happened every year). "...I did, right...?"

Elmore looked it over - and smiled in relief. "Yes, you did," he told her, his tension finally draining away.

"Good," said Athena without smiling.

"Now come on. Santa's awake right now, and he wants to see you."

Athena looked around numbly as they went inside the cozy house, walking through the cozy halls, greeting surprisingly few elves. When they reached the back bedroom she nearly walked into the door; Elmore had to stop her as he opened it for her. Santa was indeed awake, his head propped on pillows and Mrs. Claus squeezing his hand. Athena didn't perk up much when she saw him, but she showed some recognition at least.

"Athena Asamiya," said the man himself, giving her a warm smile. "On behalf of myself, the North Pole and the world...thank you. Thank you so very much."

"It was nothing," she replied by rote.

"It was everything," Santa insisted. "You will never know how much you've done."

"...no, I - I don't think I will," she agreed.

Santa chuckled a bit...but then his face went grave.

"And, unfortunately...you _cannot_ know."

And then everything went black...

* * *

Athena woke up back in her bed, feeling _very_ confused.

"...wha _happened...?_" she groaned to no one, sitting up and holding her forehead. She felt like she'd just woke from a dream...a very very very _long_ dream. She remembered bits and pieces of it - Santa? Reindeer? Balloons? - but everything was vague; not a trace of it was clear. She didn't know _what_ she'd done, in the dream...but she felt like it'd been something important.

Shaking her head, she decided to get up and get a glass of water. As she poured it, she heard the television, making her wonder if someone else was awake too. She went and checked the living room to find Kensou, watching an old kung-fu movie.

"You're up too, huh...?" she asked dimly.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "For _some_ reason, I had a nightmare where a kid was pulling out my teeth. Couldn't get back to sleep."

"I can imagine," Athena chuckled. "I had a dream, too...I think. Can't really remember it though."

"Huh," Kensou grunted. Then, a moment later, he turned and offered her part of his snack. "...you want a cookie?"

"...I don't think so," she answered, feeling sick for some reason.

Kensou shrugged and turned back around - and, in the process, dropped it. With a frustrated groan, he tried to pick it back up, but couldn't reach.

"Here, let me get it," Athena offered, bending down...

...and as she did, something fell out of her shirt pocket.

"Eh?" Kensou peered down curiously at it, but couldn't make out any details. "What's that?"

"Um. ...n-n-_nothing!_ Nothing," she assured him, snatching it up quickly. "I'm...I'm gonna try to go back to sleep, okay?"

"Alright. Good luck...and Merry Christmas."

"You too, Sie," she murmured, already back to "dim".

She stayed that way as she walked down the hall...and as she got back in bed...and as she sat up for an hour. She spent the whole time looking at, and wondering about, the scrap of paper that had fallen out of her pocket.

On the front was a picture of her in the Santa suit from her dream...

...and on the back was a message: "To Athena Asamiya, who has done more for Christmas than she can ever know."

* * *

End Notes

So here's a new drinking game for you, if you're of age: reread this fic and, every time you spot a plot hole, take a sip. You'll be drunk in five minutes, lol. (Don't worry, I'm joking. ...hopefully.)

This story was quite an experience for me. I've never taken fic by request before, or at least not fic of this length. Yet I wrote it faster than any story I've posted here, and I had more fun doing it than a lot of them. So either this prompt spoke to me or I work _better_ by request, lol. (Or maybe I work better under _pressure_...?)

Either way, many thanks to the Discord crew for a really good idea. You guys are the best :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!


End file.
